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[WPC2000] Sotec's AFiNA AV Selected 'Best of World PC Expo 2000'

October 24, 2000 (TOKYO) -- The editorial departments of Nikkei Byte
and Nikkei WinPC magazines selected superior products from among those
displayed at the World PC Expo 2000 for the "Best of World PC Expo
2000" awards. A ceremony was held Oct. 19 to recognize the awards
winners. Awards were conferred on products in a range of hardware
categories -- PCs (those of desktop, portable and notebook types),
peripheral devices, motherboards, and technology (prototype
product/technology demo). The editors of the magazines selected the
winners as the best of the products on display at the PC expo. In the
desktop PC category the winner was the AFiNA AV model from Sotec Co.,
Ltd. Several other audio-oriented PC models are on the market, but the
AFiNA AV breaks new ground because it has a special audio unit,
equipped with an HDCD-compatible CD player and tuner separate from the
PC's main body. Also, the PC's design is such that it could easily be
mistaken for an audio component hi-fi system. Other features are its
image-editing software and useful software supplied with it.

October 19, 2000 (TOKYO) -- Sotec Co., Ltd. showcased 70 units of the
PC Station G Series, a tower PC model it has just completed, and the
AFiNA Series developed jointly with Kenwood Corp., at its booth at the
World PC Expo 2000. Visitors are having hands-on experiences with the
70 PCs set up at Sotec's booth, one of the largest at the exposition
site. Also, the firm is showing prototype models yet to be announced.
One such prototype is a PC with a built-in tuner board for digital
broadcasting. A tuner board built in the main body of the PC Station G
Series and ways to receive digital broadcasting with it were
demonstrated. Sotec will announce the model at the end of the year or
early in the spring of 2001, according to a company spokesman. Although
the firm has yet to announce an official price, the price is likely to
be lower than that of a TV with digital broadcast reception
capabilities, the spokesman said. A prototype of a digital broadcasting
tuner for the AFiNA AV Series, which was jointly developed with
Kenwood, also was exhibited. The tuner has a cash card slot designed
for the pay-per-view method and a PC card slot for a modem and an
Ethernet card. The tuner is to be used with the current AFiNA AV
Series, but it can also be used independently because it utilizes a
dedicated operating system. Also, it can be used as a set-top box, the
spokesman said. According to Sotec, the firm doesn't have a concrete
commercialization plan for the tuner. A Kenwood spokesman said that for
the AFiNA AV Series, the two companies are considering developing a
Bluetooth module to connect some devices in a household and a mobile
tool to carry data around.


eMachines Inc. is a U.S. subsidiary of Sotec Co., Ltd.


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